Mawgan Porth

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Mawgan Porth
Cornwall

Mawgan Porth Beach
Location
Grid reference: SW851671
Location: 50°27’54"N, 5°1’46"W
Data
Local Government
Parliamentary
constituency:
Cornwall

Mawgan Porth is a beach and small village in north Cornwall, north of Watergate Bay and approximately four miles north of Newquay, on the Atlantic Ocean coast.

Mawgan Porth is in the civil parish of Mawgan-in-Pydar at the seaward end of the Vale of Lanherne (or Vale of Mawgan) where the River Menalhyl discharges into the sea. The hamlet consists of a pub, a general store, and several hotels, guest houses and caravan parks.

Surfers at Mawgan Porth at sunset

The sandy beach, backed by dunes with cliffs at each end, is quality-assessed and supervised by lifeguards during the summer. It is a popular surfing location. The South West Coast Path passes behind the beach and the area attracts holiday-makers[1]

History

In the years 1949-52, 1954 and 1974, archaeological excavations revealed a settlement comprising three groups of buildings ('courtyard houses') and a burial ground dating from around 850-1050. Finds included pottery and stone artefacts.[2]

Mawgan Porth is recorded as Porthglyvyan in 1334, Cornish for cove of the little wooded valley river, and later as Porthmaugan in 1755, which is Cornish for cove of St Mawgan.

The German sculptor Faust Lang lived in Mawgan Porth from 1936 to 1949.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Mawgan Porth)

References

  1. "The top 20 beach holidays (in the World)". London: Sunday Times Online. 2007-01-14. http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/holiday_type/beach/article1292126.ece. Retrieved 2007-07-15. 
  2. Bruce-Mitford, R. Mawgan Porth; a settlement of the Late Saxon Period on the North Cornish Coast: Excavations 1949-52, 1954 and 1974. London: English Heritage ISBN 978-1-85074-613-3 Abstract and download link